1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to a socket connector having a conductive layer arranged in a lower section of a passageway so as to interconnect a contact terminal disposed within an upper portion of the passageway and a solder mass disposed at a bottom surface of the socket connector.
2. Description of Related Art
Various electrical connectors are widely used in a computer system for interconnecting two electronic devices, such as a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) and an IC (Integrated Circuit) package. These connectors each serves as a carrier for the IC package and also establishes electrical connection between the two devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,241 issued to Matsuoka et al. on Nov. 18, 1994 discloses a connector for interconnecting two electronic devices (i.e. an IC package and a PCB). The connector includes an upper insulating cover and a lower insulating housing both stack with each other and jointly define a plurality of through holes therein for retaining a multiplicity of contact arrangements, respectively. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of Matsuoka, the first embodiment of the contact arrangement includes an upper contact and a lower contact engaging with each other. The upper contact has a pair of legs received in a sleeve of the lower contact. When the electronic devices are loaded, the legs of the upper contact abut against an oblique inner wall of the sleeve of the lower contact and thus produce a normal force that is able to assure the reliable connection between the electronic devices and the connector.
There is another embodiment of Matsuoka as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, which is generally similar to the previous embodiment. The only difference therebetween is that the lower contact has a convex surface that engages with the legs of upper contact, thereby also producing a normal force.
Though normal force that ensures the connection between the electronic devices and the connector is generated in both of the above described contact arrangements, there is a disadvantage thereof that the contact arrangements each employs a pair of rigid metal contacts which take a large mount of metallic material and therefore is not competitive.
In view of the above, a new low profile electrical connector capable of cost-effective.